C C C C N E W S L E T T E R
CENTRAL COAST COMPUTER CLUB
Santa Maria, California
VOLUME XXI: NUMBER 3 MARCH, 2006
Meetings are held on the third Tuesday of every month at the Knollwood
Village Clubhouse 4012 S. Bradley Dr., Santa Maria.
General meeting at 7:00 PM. System Special Interest Group session is at
5:45pm. Guests are welcome.
Check out our web site: http//member.apcug.org/fourseas for the latest
program schedule information.
Membership is $15 for twelve months for individuals, $20 for families.
For this you receive: Monthly newsletters, EXTRA4C E-mail Messages,
Help-line support, Monthly presentations, Valuable door prizes, Question
and answer sessions.
NEXT MEETING: MARCH 21, 2006 KNOLLWOOD VILLAGE 4012 S. BRADLEY
PRESENTATION: The March meeting will be Gerry Miller on Smart Computing
Magazine.
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| CONTENTS |
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(1) OFFICERS, HELPLINES, S.I.G.S
(2) PRESIDENT'S CORNER Ray Isenson
(3) EDITOR'S COMMENTS Dick Trissel
(4) WEB WANDERINGS
(5) SYSTEMS S.I.G. Dick Trissel
(6) REVIEW: FRONT PAGE 2003 Jim Tonge
(7) SIX WINDOWS VISTA OPERATING SYSTEMS
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OFFICERS HELPLINES
President Juno
Ray Isenson 937-6938 Dick Trissel 937-7572
risenson@juno.com rtrissel@juno.com
Vice President Windows 95/98/ME/XP & VoiceControl
Spence Stimler 938-0217 Amy Malicki 925-5780
SPENCE923@msn.com savvyforseniors@juno.com
Secretary Hardware and Windows XP
Barbara Godwin 934-9885 Ray Isenson 937-6938
yung.bag@verizon.net risenson@juno.com
Treasurer AOL
Gerry Miller 934-1396 Frank Maciel 922-2318
2741 Banyan Way frm8198@aol.com
Santa Maria CA 93455
gandamiller@verizon.net
Publicity Visual Basic and Genealogy
Bill Corning 934-0775 Gerald Miller 934-1396
foster95@juno.com gandamiller@verizon.net
Newsletter Editor Help With Any Problem
Dick Trissel 937-7572 Ray Isenson 937-6938
rtrissel@juno.com risenson@juno.com
SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP (S.I.G.)
Systems (5:45pm)
Dick Trissel
rtrissel@juno.com
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CCCC Page 2 March 2006
PRESIDENT'S CORNER by Ray Isenson
A few weeks ago our User Group lost one of its oldest and most steadfast
members when Laudell (Lud) Ludwig left us to meet his Maker. Very quiet and
always attentive, Lud seemed to have a "reserved" seat in the front row of
each meeting. He was a very good, personal friend of mine and of several
other members. We'll miss him.
On a more pleasant subject, the March meeting is going to feature a type of
presentation that is a marked departure from those we've experienced in the
past. FourSeas member (and treasurer) Jerry Miller will be fronting for the
publisher of Smart Computing magazine. He's going to tell us about a
publication that is quite different from the ones with which we are more
familiar. I personally guarantee that every attending member and guest will
have something of value to carry away. My recommendation; don't miss it.
Ted Tucker will be looking for ideas from those present about the possible
developing of a Wiki for intergroup discussions by the members or for just a
classified ad page for moving surplus computer associated junk to or from
your abode. If you can't make the meeting but want to offer a comment, e-
mail it to me for forwarding to Ted.
At the February meeting, as those who were present know, there was
considerable confusion attendant to the distribution of tickets for the
Christmas computer drawing. I'll accept the responsibility for the traffic
jam. In order to avoid the confusion, Spence Stimler and or Amy Malicki
will be distributing them at the rear of the meeting hall, in the area where
your member badges are to be found. They will be there before the SIG
meeting starts. Please, if your name isn't on the roster of those who have
paid their 2006 dues, don't embarrass yourself by requesting a ticket; your
not eligible for one. You have over a week to get a on the list by mailing
a check to Jerry Miller (2741 Banyan Way, Santa Maria, 93455)
Elsewhere in the newsletter is a review, by Jim Tonge, of Front Page 2003.
In it he further develops a very practical application of the software
program; an application that he barely touched on during his presentation,
as well as summarizing his presentation.
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CCCC Page 3 March 2006
EDITOR'S COMMENTS by Dick Trissel
I joined CCCC about this time of the year 1998. Two years later I took over
the newsletter from Gerry Miller who had taken it over from Ray Isenson.
That means I've been doing this "stuff" for SIX YEARS! So, I've got a
proposal. How about someone volunteering to be an assistant newsletter
editor with the idea of eventually taking over the publication?
I will introduce them to the methods I use, with the idea that they can
change the procedure to suit themselves. If they decide they don't want to
continue, so be it. However, they may find a lot of satisfaction in the
job. And nothing says there can't be multiple assistants--I can use all the
help I can get.
Since we stopped doing the hardcopy newsletter a couple of years ago, the
publication has become much easier--and less expensive for the club and the
editor. We currently have 62 e-mail newsletters sent each month, counting
the extra four going to computer services. We use a Juno e-mail account
(EXTRA4C--$10/year) registered in my name to send from two lists of member's
e-mail addresses.
If you are interested, send me an e-mail, call me on the phone, or see me at
a meeting. My contact info is on the Officers and Helplines page above.
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CCCC Page 4 March 2006
WEB WANDERINGS
A NOVEL LOOK AT THE NEWS
The Internet is a great place to stay current on news and events around the
world. You can read the latest headlines as they're written.
But sometimes you want to look at the news a little differently.
The cool site, 10x10, takes an interesting approach to the news. It scans
news sites every hour and compiles a list of the 100 most popular words.
Click on the words or the related pictures to see a selection of news
stories.
When you visit the site, you'll see the results for the current time. And
you may find it enlightening to go through the archives.
www.tenbyten.org/now.html
HOMEGROWN NEWS
Is one of your favorite online activities reading the news?
With news sites, you can get the news when you want. And it is easy to
browse through the sections without getting ink on your fingers!
Newspapers all over the country now have Web sites. This is perfect for news
junkies like. You can keep up with the news in your hometown. And you can
read stories that don't make the national news.
But you need to know how to find the local papers. That's where Home Town
News comes in. It lists online newspapers around the country. Simply click
on a state to find the paper you want to read.
hometownnews.com
LIVE AVIATION RADIO?
Ever been online listening to recordings from air traffic control centers?
What fun! If you're a flying enthusiast, stop by LiveATC.net and listen for
yourself.
At LiveATC, you'll hear live streams from air traffic control centers. Most
streams come from the United States, but some are from elsewhere.
To hear streams from a specific time and place, visit the archives. The
recordings go back two weeks.
If you live near an airport, maybe you'd like to help out. With a scanner
and an always-on Internet connection, you can stream audio to the site.
www.liveatc.net
MAGICAL MAPS
The Internet is a convenient place to get maps and driving directions. You
may have been using online map services for years.
But lately, map sites have improved dramatically. And if you're not using
these services, you're really missing out.
You may need to give a friend directions to your home or office. Rather than
do it over the phone, go to Microsoft's Live Local site. After you've
generated driving directions, e-mail a link so they can pull them up.
Live Local puts power at anyone's fingertips.
local.live.com
SEND FREE TEXT MESSAGES!
If you don't use text messaging, you're missing out. It is a great way to
get a quick message to someone. It's especially handy when you can't make a
phone call.
You don't have to have a cell phone to send a text. Just use Teleflip to
send your message. Unlike other services, you don't need to know the
recipient's cellular provider.
It is as easy as sending an e-mail. In fact, your message is sent via your
e-mail program.
Use it to send messages when you have a computer handy. That way, you can
save your allotted text messages for when you are on the go!
www.teleflip.com
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CCCC Page 5 March 2006
SYSTEMS S.I.G. by Dick Trissel
There was a question submitted asking how to turn off the periodic request
by Windows XP for a password update. On many computers the default is 42
days. There are two ways to change this time or delete it completely.
The easiest way is as follows:
Go to Start /Control Panel / Administration Tools / Local Security Policy
/ Account Policies / Password Policy
Right click Maximum password age / 0 / Apply /OK /OK
Zero days means never--unlimited.
However, some computers don't allow this operation (I don't know why!).
The other method is as follows:
Go to Start / Run / cmd
At the command prompt type: net accounts
The line Maximum password age (days): should be Unlimited.
If not, type: net accounts /maxpwage:{unlimited} [Note: those are braces--
shifted brackets].
Again, some computers won't accept that command. There's probably a
register edit procedure, but I haven't found it yet.
The question was asked "How do I see the pictures in my e-mail that have
only little red squares?". That is not your e-mail problem. It is an error
on the part of the sender. Assuming the sender is using Outlook Express,
here's what he has to do:
In OE go to Tools / Options / Send / HTML Settings
and put a check mark in the square for [ ] Send Pictures with messages
Click OK / Apply / OK
I mentioned there was an excellent free system analysis program that is
rated better than Belarc Advisor. It is the big brother to the AIDA32
program available on the ComputerWorks free utility CD. It is called
Everest by Lavalys. However, the free version is no longer available. If
you know someone that has a copy of the free version, you might ask for a
copy--hint, hint!
Windows XP has an undocumented keyboard function that is very useful when
copying many files or folder at once. A duplicate copy operation will ask
if you want to copy over an existing file. The response options are Yes,
No, Yes to All. The Yes to All means don't ask me again, just copy even if
the file already exists. But, what if you want to complete the copy and NOT
replace all the duplicate files? You have to answer No to each one. If you
hold down the shift key and click on No, it means No to All and you will NOT
keep getting asked every time a duplicate name occurs.
I reiterated the caution for people that buy a new computer and have a
broadband Internet capability. DON'T connect the broadband modem to the
computer until you have installed all of your anti-virus and firewall
programs. This caution also applies to new broadband subscribers connecting
to an old computer. As soon as you connect to the Internet, you are
vulnerable. Some installations do have routers which have firewall
capability (provided it is enabled).
And, I always recommend having a backup of your new computer. If you
received Restore CDs, fine. However, backing up the files on the C:\
partition is better. If you have XP Pro, the Backup utility is in the
System Tools. If you have XP Home, Backup was probably not installed. The
XP CD has Backup that can be installed. It's at VALUEADD\MSFT\NTBACKUP.MSI.
Be sure to read the limitations listed in the Readme.txt in the same folder.
If you don't have the CD, borrow one from someone.
I don't get the Staples store flyer regularly in the Sunday Santa Maria
Times, but a few weeks ago they had prices on some items that were amazing--
thumbdrives: 512MB $15, 1GB $35; Router and notebook Wi-fi card: $30. Of
course, these prices were after rebates.
And, Office Depot had an HP computer, complete with 17" monitor for $150.
The E-machine computer has been available for $300 for several months at
BestBuy and CircuitCity--complete with 17" monitor and printer. If you have
a serious old computer repair problem (at $65 to $80 an hour), or are
thinking of updating to Windows XP, it may be better to buy a cheap new
computer. XP installations in older computers isn't always a neat
operation.
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CCCC Page 6 March 2006
Review: Front Page 2003
By Jim Tonge with lots of help from his friends.
Front Page 2003 is a full-featured professional web page design program. As
such, the requirements to run it are stringent. Many computer systems used
by members of the club may not be able to take advantage of any or all of
its features.
For instance, FrontPage 03 requires that the computer have Windows XP or
Windows 2000. To get the very useful on-line tutorials the computer must
have an Internet access and a full version of Power Point 2003. (The free
Power Point Reader 2003 will not do). As a consequence I couldn't use our
club's laptop for my demonstration. Although it is running Windows XP and
HAS Microsoft Office 2003, I couldn't take full advantage of the program
because when in the Windows XP mode the Sony OEM "software" modem is not
supported.
I chose, instead, to install the program on an HP laptop running the HP OEM
Windows Media Center Edition Version 2002 Service Pack 2, with all available
updates installed. This computer came from HP with a trial version of
Teachers and Students Office 2003, but the trial had long ago expired.
Since the computer is used mostly for various media tasks, I chose not to
upgrade the Office Suite. I could have replaced it with one of the Office
97 CD's that I had to buy bundled with older, now, scrapped computers, but
used Works instead. I am still waiting for my vouchers from the California/
Microsoft settlement. To get the advantage of the on-line tutorials I
acquired and installed Office 2003 Standard (military Appreciation version.)
I am a veteran, and eligible for this at the at the Vandenberg BX for
$59.95. Both Office 2003 and Front Page 2003 required lengthy downloads for
the service packs.
By the way, as to the difficulty getting the presentation under way; this
laptop supports two monitors with the ability to show different material on
each. Power Point places the full screen view (f5) on the primary monitor
(the laptop) which the audience couldn't see and only showed the wallpaper
on the projector. The fix for this (which I couldn't think of that at the
time while I was standing there) is to reverse the monitors with
Properties>Settings. We elected to transfer the Power Point Presentation
file from my computer to the club laptop and carry on from there. It
reminded me a bit of the time I was starring in the High School play Seven
Keys to Baldpate and the heroine couldn't get a door open. I was stronger
of course, so I said, "Here try my key." I gave the door a good yank and it
came open. Of course, that was almost 55 years ago. Perhaps I was stronger
then and could think a bit faster on my feet. "The Show must go on!"
Having said all that, if one has the computer resources and wants to design
web pages, I think that Front Page 2003 is a wonderful tool. I have, in the
past, used the HTML markup language for various tasks. For me, it was a
laborious, tedious, time consuming task. Front Page 2003 greatly simplifies
the job and allowed me to think more about the appearance and utility of the
web page and not so much about the mark up language.
The tutorials are extensive and helpful. The Help files really help and the
various views are easy to navigate.
The use of the split view permits a view of the code in one window and a
view of the web design in another. Besides the utility in the actual design
of a page, this gives the possibility of extending ones knowledge of HTML
coding by observing the code that produces a given result. It's like reading
a dual language book. The two views are closely linked. Moving the cursor
over a point in the design view displays the applicable code in the other.
Modifications to the page may be made in either window. This is a great
feature. Often it is much easier to delete, cut and paste in the code
window. Mistakes may be made and they are a bit hard to undo, particularly
for a novice, so it is important to do a lot of saving the files.
One of the best features of the program is the inclusion of templates for
designing pages to meet a variety of uses. There are enough of them to
provide a start for almost everything that I can think of. If one has a
small business, Microsoft evens has a link to a "Free for a limited time"
server for you. http://officelive.microsoft.com
One simply opens one of the templates and modifies the content and
hyperlinks. Sometimes, as with the HTML expression, "webbot" it may take a
bit of looking to find the right syntax. The expression, "webbot" is a
useful way to pass parameters to the banners that might head a web page.
As I read the tutorials and help pages, I was struck with the fact that
Front Page 2003 was a powerful means of managing files on a computer without
publishing it to the web. A "personal web site" (one of the templates) is
easy to make. It may then be used to access various sites on the web from
your own computer as well as accessing files from the computer's disks,
volumes and folders by making web pages to fit a particular interest. The
example of this might the fourteen different product categories that are
found on Epson.com. If one clicks on digital photography, one gets the
photo ink jets, the scanners as well as cameras. If one clicks on ink jet
printers, one gets the same photo ink jets as well as the others ink jets,
but not the camera or scanner. In other words, the same data (inventory) is
accessed by different choices at the top level of the product page, based on
the user's interest,
In the documentation, two kinds of sites are defined:
"Now that you know what a FrontPage Web site is, it's important to know that
there are two kinds: disk-based and server-based."
"In short, a disk-based site is a FrontPage Web site you create on your
local hard disk and then later publish to a Web server. A server-based site
is one you create and work with directly on a Web server, without the extra
step of publishing."
"Each kind has a clear advantage. When you're done reading about them on the
following pages, you should be able to know which one is right for you."
The revolutionary idea of complementing Windows Explorer is also introduced
in the documentation:
"You probably know that FrontPage is a Web site design tool. But it has
another major role that's important to remember: FrontPage is also a Web
site management tool. How exactly does FrontPage help you manage your site?
There are a handful of ways. One way is that you can use it to add, rename,
delete, or move around files (without doing it in Microsoft Windows
Explorer)."
I am quoting here, because when I made the presentation at the club, I found
that these concepts were in conflict with what most of my audience had in
mind for a "web page design tool."
I have many ideas in mind for this program on my computer, but some of them
might not be so interesting. But using these ideas, I thought of an example
that many of you might use: Selecting and printing pictures to enclose with
the greeting cards that you might want to send out. Last year, this
involved making several lists. For a large number of people, each of whom is
to get a different set of pictures, this can get quite complicated. I had
to make a list of the people with the file names of the pictures that each
was to receive. Then another list with different numbers of each image to
print. Then I would print the individual pictures, sort and collate them
and stuff the envelopes.
A "Photo Gallery" Web Site (Just use that template) on your hard disk is
almost tailor-made for the job. You might name this site: "Holiday
Pictures".
Then you can use the "Photo Gallery Properties" to do such things as set the
rows and columns for the thumbnails and add photos from files. You are
just adding thumbnails, the actual files stay where they were originally.
To this page, I add all the photos that I think that I might want to send to
anyone. Perhaps I would select 100 or so from the several thousand pictures
taken in the past year.
Then to the Holiday Pictures web site, I add one page for each person that
is to get pictures and copy the thumbnails of the pictures that I select for
him or her to this page. There are many tools available on these pages.
For instance, I could open a picture in Photoshop from any of the pages,
retouch it and save it to the same filename. This changed file is updated
on each of the pages where it appears. An extensive set of printing tools
is also available.
Finally, I just go to each of the individual pages and batch print all the
pictures there. The pictures come out in groups already sorted. Doing it,
even though it was my first time, took less time than it did to write this.
I only made three "daughter" pages though, instead of the thirty or so that
the job will require in December.
I prepared this abbreviated review for a general audience, but Front Page
2003 is a product for professionals, the standard for much of the industry.
The features are much more extensive than can possibly be included in a
review of this type. If you have a need for either a server or disk based
web page and have the needed computer resources, this program is the one for
you. I suggest that you get the trial version first and see if there are
going to be any glitches in your system.
One improvement might be to allow the tutorials to be viewed in Power Point
viewer instead of requiring the full program. I felt a bit like I had gone
to the Adobe site and tried to view a PDF file with my Acrobat reader and
they required that I have a full version of Acrobat.
I know, I know. I had to buy Office 2003 and that was a benefit to
Microsoft.
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CCCC Page 7 March 2006
SIX WINDOWS VISTA OPERATING SYSTEMS
from e-mail newsletter
Recently, Microsoft announced the product lineup of its upcoming Windows
Vista operating system. The Windows Vista product lineup consists of six
versions, two for businesses, three for consumers, and one for emerging
markets: Windows Vista Business, Windows Vista Enterprise, Windows Vista
Home Basic, Windows Vista Home Premium, Windows Vista Ultimate and Windows
Vista Starter.
According to Microsoft the lineup is designed to deliver clear value to a
broad range of customers, each product tailored to meet specific needs of
various segments of customers - home PC users, small and medium-sized
businesses and the largest enterprises - and is aimed at bringing 64-bit,
Media Center and Tablet PC functionality into the mainstream.
"We live in a digital world that is filled with more information, more
things to do and more ways to communicate with others than ever," said Mike
Sievert, corporate vice president of Windows Product Management and
Marketing at Microsoft. "The PC needs to give people the clarity and
confidence to handle this 'world of more' so they can focus on what's most
important to them. With our Windows Vista product line, we've streamlined
and tailored our product lineup to provide what our customers want for
today's computing needs."
Seems rather complicated does it? So let's take a look what distinguishes
these different versions.
Let's start with the choices a home user would be making:
1. Windows Vista Home Basic. A choice for homes with basic computing needs.
This version does not include the Aero user interface, and does not have
Media Center and Tablet PC capabilities, nor the integrated DVD burning.
2. Windows Vista Home Premium. Includes everything in Windows Vista Home
Basic, along with additional features and enhancements such as the
following: The Aero user interface, Media Center and Tablet PC capabilities,
Integrated DVD burning and authoring.
3. Windows Vista Ultimate. The edition of Windows Vista that has it all,
bringing together all the entertainment features, mobility features and
business-oriented features available in Windows Vista.
Business customers can choose from two versions that are designed to meet
their needs, based on the size and scale of their organizations:
4. Windows Vista Business. Designed for organizations of all sizes.
5. Windows Vista Enterprise. Provides higher levels of data protection using
hardware-based encryption technology. It will also include tools to improve
application compatibility and will enable organizations to standardize on a
single worldwide deployment image with the inclusion of all Windows user-
interface languages. Windows Vista Enterprise will be available only to
customers who have PCs covered by Microsoft Software Assurance or a
Microsoft Enterprise Agreement. These are some of the specific Windows Vista
Enterprise features:
Windows BitLocker Drive Encryption: helps prevent sensitive data and
intellectual property from falling into the wrong hands if a computer is
lost or stolen.
Virtual PC Express: enables for example a legacy application to run
unchanged on a legacy Windows operating system in a virtual environment on
top of Windows Vista Enterprise.
Subsystem for UNIX-based Applications enables users to run UNIX applications
unchanged on a Windows Vista Enterprise-based PC
6. Microsoft also will offer Windows Vista Starter in emerging markets.
Microsoft describes the Starter edition as follows: "Windows Vista Starter
is designed to empower families and entry-level PC users in these markets to
experience the world of social and educational benefits that personal
computer technology and the Internet makes possible. A 32-bit operating
system designed specifically for lower-cost computers, Windows Vista Starter
enables popular beginner PC activities and provides an easy-to-use and more
affordable entry point to the Windows Vista family of products."
So all-in-all the choices users have to make are not that difficult. If you
use the PC for bare minimum, go for Vista Home Basic. Most users that will
be reading this article will most likely want Vista Home Premium. If you
want to upgrade from Windows XP Tablet PC edition or Windows XP Media Center
edition, you'll need Vista Home Premium too.
Microsoft has not released any pricing details, and says that all versions
of Windows Vista are scheduled to be broadly available in the second half of
2006.
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